Brainy Thing:  17:37         Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:54

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting and Crochet:

Catherine needed a quick, satisfying, completed project so she whipped up the crocheted Skinny Mini Scarf by Carla Fanton in Feza Purl in gold.  Margaret was in the same need-a-quick-success mood and worked up two Javori Designs bracelet kits: Arya crochet in sapphire;   Paloma Knit beaded bracelet in Starry night

Brainy Thing

Catherine discovers the connections between multi-sensory learning, concept maps and JC Briar's Stitchmaps.  Here's a YouTube link for our authors.  Also check http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Science-Learning-Harmony/dp/1620360098

 The New Science of Learning:   How to Learn in Harmony with your brain by Terry Doyle and James Zulle:  The Art of Changing the Brain

 Behind the Redwood Curtain

We talk about (you can see photos on the Shownotes on Teachingyourbraintoknit.com)  murals, many of which were done by local artist Duane Flatmo.

Episode 28   Process versus product in your knitting and crochet

 Brainy Things: 10:40   Redwood Curtain: 18:35

What we’re learning from our knitting and crochet

Margaret crocheted a super quick project:  the Crochet cobweb pattern by Jennifer Hansen.   It's free!  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-cobweb

After a rough start, Catherine is now enjoying the Vanessa Ives Mystery KAL.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives

Brainy Thing:

Process vs. Product in our Knitting and Crochet through the lens of the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/judging-or-perceiving.htm

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Haunted House Tour of Eureka:   http://www.oldtownhauntedhistorytours.com/Home_Page.php   Why some of these houses have mezzanines. Knitting Tip

Cat Bordhi ‘s tip of using Kid Silk Haze or an equivalent to reinforce socks.

http://www.ravelry.com/people/CatBordhi

Episode 27: Reading/Writing Learning Preference and Your Knitting

Brainy thing:   25:10                   Redwood Curtain:   33:50

What Our Knitting is Teaching Us

Margaret concludes (at least for now) her cotton sock yarn comparison with Feel Good Yarns sock yarn knitted in a generic sock pattern and using the new-to-her Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel

in Feel Good Yarn Company http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/feel-good-yarn-company-silverspun-sock

She compares Feel Good Yarn with Cascade Fixation and Cobasi by HiKoo, which is currently her favorite.

 Catherine talks about her painful learning from the Mona8pi or Bunny Muff’s Vanessa Ives Mystery shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives-mkal out of Woole’s Yarns Creations Color Changing Cotton

Brainy Thing

In earlier episodes, we’ve talked about the VAK learning style – Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic preferences for taking in information. An updated version of that is the VARK system. The “R” stands for the Reading/Writing preference.   While many people including educators find these systems useful, other criticize the research that has been done.

http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-quiz.htm

http://teachertools.londongt.org/?page=VAK

learningpath.org/articles/30_of_the_Best_Educational_Tools_for_Auditory_Visual_and_Kinesthetic_Learners.html

http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-1-intro.htm

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s351/nl/58815065/110e2ccb-0fba-40e4-9887-e173ce46a227/

http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/05/fleming-vakuous-learning-styles.html

http://learningstylesevidence.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-meta-analysis-of-vak-pre-vark.html

Redwood Curtain

The facts and mythos of Highway 101 that runs from Los Angeles to the Washington State Border.

A Knitting Tip

How to cut out a row of knitting:Margaret Ratcliff The Knowledgeable Knitter

http://www.amazon.com/Knowledgeable-Knitter-Margaret-Radcliffe/dp/1612120407/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446325007&sr=1-1&keywords=the+knowledgeable+knitter

Brainy Part Starts: 18.01;  Behind the Redwood Curtain Starts: 28.54

What we’re learning from Our Knitting and Crochet

Catherine took a class from Patti Subik, dyer extraordinaire and owner of Great Adirondack Yarn. http://www.greatadirondackyarnco.com/ http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/brands/great-adirondack-yarn-coShe experienced one of those great insights that opened up her world using procine dyes.

She also made a cute pair of Baby Uggs http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-uggs-2designed by Autumn Street (Baby Lee) http://www.ravelry.com/designers/autumn-street whose website is Thingsforboys.com Catherine used the leftovers from her Red Cardi project. (see Episode 26)

Margaret sings the praises for Kira K Designs who is Kira Dulaney http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/kira-k-designs Belle Epoque http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/belle-epoque-shawl crocheted Shawl.   In addition to being a great design (and good for a new-ish crocheter), the design is extremely well laid out on the page. She used Lotus Yarn http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/designingvashti-lotus designed by crocheters Designing Vashti, Vashti Braha and Doris Chan that is half cotton, half rayon and features a Z twist.

Brainy Thing:

Catherine tells us about Gamma Waves which are associated with learning, memory, linguistic process and other cognitive ability.   Maybe even consciousness itself.
http://www.transparentcorp.com/research/gamma-brain-waves.php.   She hypothesizes that Knitting and Crochet may be linked to Gamma Wave production

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Samoa  Dunes Recreational Center. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/samoa.html offer a variety of recreational options and feature the curious Dolos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos

 Knitting Tip

Catherine talks about life lines.

A little Podcast Business:

The winner of the Berroco Origami yarn is announced as is the winner of the incentive to sign up for The Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast group(# 3012 to 400) http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit.   Both randomly selected.

Welcome to Episode 25

 Brainy Thing: 18:37

 Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:53

 What We’re Learning from our knitting:

 Catherine is finishing up her second Fantasy Red Cardi (that’s the name but this one is a green and blue variegated with trim in a robin egg’s blue) by Kathryn. She has bought the yarn Wolle’s Yarn Creations Color changing cotton tape yarn by Elizabeth Drum to do the Vanessa Ives Mystery Knit along by Mona8pi. She bought two colors but hasn’t decided which one yet.

 Margaret knit about 10 inches of a cowl in Borroco Origami in a black/grey/brown color and decided she didn’t like the yarn for around her neck.   She has four skeins of it, 98 yards per skein. It is 58% acrylic, 16% linen, 15& nylon and 11% cotton and has a lot of high ratings in Ravelry. Borroco has discontinued the yarn.   She’s offering it to a member of the Ravelry group for free:   Just post in the thread.   If more than one person wants it by October 13, we’ll select someone by random number generator.

 Both Margaret and Catherine learned to create fabric cords with the simple cordage method at the Natural Fibre Fair in Arcata.. The demonstration was taught by the Julie Mueller-Brown from Cinnabar and Indigo, a vendor at the fair that sells handmade glass beads and other beautiful items.

 Brainy Thing: Do colors change when we’re depressed or are we depressed by dull colors in our environment?  Catherine will explore this topic and the controversy around it in this segment.  She investigates the work of Christopher Thorstenson of the University of Rochester

 Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Margaret talks about the mystery of the little town or Orick, CA and why it hasn’t prospered.   Check out Jensen Rufe’s Film, Orick, California USA.

 Knitting Tip:

Consider cutting your knitting to make repairs. Margaret makes plans to cut her Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder in half to attempt to re-heel it.

Brainy Thing:  17:17   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:10

Margaret took a course in Multi-Directional Knitting from JC Briar and has made wristlets to reinforce that learning.   She also made the Mudra Cuff by Laura Nelkin.

Catherine is blocking her second Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster.   She can't travel with her other projects.

Catherine describes the iconic (and contemporary)  Humboldt Honey who still walk the streets of Arcata, California.  

Margaret offers a knitting tip that by making small projects ( like a wrister, coffee cozy, or coaster) after learning a new technique, you can improve your muscle memory and anchor the learning. 

Brainy Part 20:18   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  39:38

Catherine is learning from Heidi May's (Velvet Acorn) Failyn Fox Cowl and from Melissa Mall's Simple Man Slipper.

Margaret is learning from Rebecca Velasquez' Terra Cotta Shawl (or Thorns).

Catherine talks about we see and perceive color.

She also talks about the Giant Coastal Salamander.

Catherine offers a tip about the Princess Sole in your socks.

Episode 22:  The Kinesthetic Learning Mode in Knitting and Crochet

Brainy Thing starts:  22:17

Behind the Redwood Curtain starts:  30:45

What we're learning from our knitting. 

With her Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster (see prior posts) behind her and her Among the Wildflowers by Sasha Ball Rives on hold, Catherine turns to two bits of production knitting.  She is working on Failyn Fox Cowl by Heidi May in Lion Brand Thick and Quck for a friend's child and the Chain Mail Hood and Cowl offered by the Utah Shakespeare Festival (Chain Mail Techniques).  With a re-envisioned yarn choice (Patons Metallic in Pewter), Catherine is making this  for a local production of Plays in the Park for the play The Unprincess.

Margaret talks about Laura Nelkin's Beaded Waves Cuff and why Margaret sometimes like buying a kit instead of gatherine various elements of a project herself.

Brainy Thing:   Kinesthetic Learning

The last element of the VAK (Visual Auditory Kinesthetic) learning style discussion (but not the end of the topic itself), Margaret shares general and personal experiences of learners who take in information kinesthetically.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine talks about the Natural Fiber Fair which is held in Arcata, CA.

Knitting Tip

Margaret shares that designers (Laura Nelkin, for example) and yarn companies often have wonderful tutorials on their sites.

Welcome to Episode 21:   Knitting supports Cancer Recovery and other Health IssuesBrainy part starts:24:05.     Behind the Redwood Curtain (Trillium) Starts: 33:35

What We're Learning from Our Knitting (and Crochet):

Catherine is finishing up the Fantasy Red Cardi designed by Katherine Foster.    She's also made two hats as part of the North Coast Knittery's Hats for the Homeless Campaign.   The pattern is The Tyson Hat by Robyn Devine and the yarn is Naturally Nazareth.by Kraemer Yarns.

Catherine is well along on the Failynn Fox Cowl by Heidi May who goes by the Velvet acorn.  She is using Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in pumpkin for it

Margaret is continuing her exploration of cotton sock yarns.   This week she talks about Cascade Fixation using the Fixation Ankle Sock pattern by Dawn Friske or Knitamazoo.   Margaret also re-crocheted the Quotidian or Flapper Bucket Hat by the Stitch Diva to make it just a little larger to accommodate her Mom's bun.

The Brainy Part:  Knitting to Support Cancer Recovery

Catherine introduces the Knit for Life Program started by Tanya Pariequz.  She also talks about Team Survivor Northwest.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Trillium

Margaret talks about the beautiful little trillium that bloom in the spring at the base of the redwood trees.

Knitting Tip

Margaret shares Edie Eckman's tip in Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs about using the principle of the Golden Mean in choosing a pleasing proportion of colors in a multi-color project.

Brainy Thing:  25:05   Behind the Redwood Curtain 32:36

Margaret talks about how much she learned from the Multnomah Shawl by Kate Ray while Catherine talks about tension for crocheting the Misty Rose by Kim Camera.  She's also working on the Among the Wild Flowers by Sasha Ball Reeves.

Margaret shares some tips from the Book "Organizing for the Right Brain" and mentions Jill Bolte Taylor's Ted Talk "Stroke of Insight."

Catherine talks about the Humboldt Marten, who people are trying to get on the Endangered Species List.

We correct an error about using a a larger needle to creat a stretchier cast-on and Catherine shares a tip about starting a busy day with a little knitting to find peace. 

Our Learn-along will be over August 1.